HPC COMPUTING IMPACT IN MILITARY OPERATIONS

Abstract

In the current military system, different activities are fundamentally based on information and information technology usage. These key elements are closely interlinked and even dependent on the current High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems. These systems may have an increased impact in military operations, both through the benefits of increasing the quantity of processed data and reducing the response time of systems necessary for carrying out activities, and by elevating the risk factor through accentuating the possibilities of creating security breaches. A prime example is the depreciation of current encryption techniques and algorithms used to safeguard and transfer information within military entities. Another factor highlighting the impact of HPC technology is the hybrid nature of its operation, utilizing central processors from computing clusters and graphical processors for the execution of associated tasks. These can serve interdisciplinary military activities in a parallel manner. This paper aims to offer an overview for the new generation of computing systems, HPCs, and to emphasize their use in military operations.

Headnote

In the current military system, different activities are fundamentally based on information and information technology usage. These key elements are closely interlinked and even dependent on the current High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems. These systems may have an increased impact in military operations, both through the benefits of increasing the quantity of processed data and reducing the response time of systems necessary for carrying out activities, and by elevating the risk factor through accentuating the possibilities of creating security breaches. A prime example is the depreciation of current encryption techniques and algorithms used to safeguard and transfer information within military entities. Another factor highlighting the impact of HPC technology is the hybrid nature of its operation, utilizing central processors from computing clusters and graphical processors for the execution of associated tasks. These can serve interdisciplinary military activities in a parallel manner. This paper aims to offer an overview for the new generation of computing systems, HPCs, and to emphasize their use in military operations.

Keywords: High Performance Computing (HPC); Information technology; HPC military use-cases; military system; computing power.

Abstract

I. Introduction

High-Performance Computing (HPC) represents a continuously expanding technological domain that constantly pushes the boundaries of computing power and data analysis. The history of high-performance computing can be traced over the past few decades, starting with the development of the first supercomputers in the 1960s and 1970s when Seymour Cray designed the first computing machine at Control Data Corporation, achieving a performance of one million instructions per second in 1964 [5]. Initially employed mainly for scientific simulations and military applications, HPC began to extend beyond these realms in the 1980s, becoming increasingly utilized in the industry for computer-aided design. With technological advancements in the 1990s, HPC became more accessible, and solutions with distributed architectures, such as server clusters, were developed. In 1993, the TOP500 was established to classify the world's most powerful supercomputers based on the LINPACK standardized test, measuring floating-point performance [6]. A significant moment in the history of HPC occurred in the 2000s with the launch of the innovative CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) architecture by NVIDIA. This architecture introduced the ability to use GPUs for not only graphical tasks but also for general computing tasks, marking the integration of GPUs into the field of HPC. The 2010s witnessed significant progress in the miniaturization of silicon transistors, allowing for an increased number of transistors per chip, accelerating computing power and improving energy efficiency simultaneously. The latest milestone in computing power was reached in 2022 in the United States with the Frontier supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory achieving exascale performance, a level of computing known as quintillion calculations per second [2].

Projections for the High-Performance Computing field in the coming years are influenced by multiple factors, with technology rapidly advancing when it finds market demand. The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted focus to medical research, with HPC systems being utilized in molecular simulations to understand the virus and develop medication. It is anticipated that the power held by these supercomputers will be crucial in medical research, an area of continuous interest. The future is expected to bring widespread exascale computing, as multiple countries and organizations continue to be interested in developing and implementing systems capable of achieving this computing capability.

II. Current status

High-Performance Computing (HPC) technologies are key elements that provide support for a suite of domains vital to human evolution [ 1 ] :

* Medicine and Biochemistry - Through the analysis, processing, detailed modeling, and large-scale simulation using various numerical methods. Through its infrastructure and fundamental elements, HPC supports the field of Big Data Analytics (BDA). It aids in meeting the requirements of BDA activity: volume, velocity, variety, veracity, and value.

* Science and Research - The infrastructure and operation mode of HPC enable the execution of complex simulations and advanced models in related research fields. The high-processing power infrastructure supports processes such as Big Data analysis, optimization of current algorithms and techniques, design and analysis of experimental models, and, last but not least, the field of artificial intelligence. This field currently has the most significant impact, undergoing continuous expansion and evolution.

* Meteorology and Climatology - HPC supports this field by achieving much more accurate weather forecasts through precise simulations based on extensive datasets. The involvement of HPC is also evident in studying the effects of weather phenomena on natural resources.

* Financial Industry - Through the acceleration of the quantity of processed information and the reduction of processing and delivery times, HPC becomes a vital element in financial transactions. The significant impact of HPC on the industry is generated by its use as support for data mining technologies and machine learning [4].

* Automotive and Aerospace Industry - The major benefits in the automotive and aerospace industries lie in improving the design, operation, and production of molds. Another significant factor is the structural analysis of components, whether we are talking about a car or an aircraft. Each element undergoes safety and durability testing based on successive validation tests with various modeling parameters.

* Energy Industry and Natural Resources - Conducting simulations of energy processes (solar, nuclear, fossil, and hydroelectric) significantly contributes to increasing operational efficiency, optimizing, and precisely managing energy production. In addition to complex simulations performed as quickly as possible, another advantage of using HPC in the energy industry lies in designing and simulating various innovative materials in interaction with current energy supply principles. These materials can potentially offer an alternative energy source, sometimes even with increased efficiency.

* Multimedia Industry - Computer graphics, the ability to create complex visual effects, and post-production acceleration are just a few elements highlighting the impact of multimedia data processing by a parallel computing system. The multimedia industry is a significant industrial giant that encompasses branches such as image recognition, simulation and 3D graphics, gaming, and training (through compression and encoding). All these elements generate a massive amount of raw data that requires processing and transformation into valuable information. In addition to providing very large storage capacities for the entire dataset, HPC ensures the rapid processing of this data and the delivery of information to end-users.

* Cybersecurity [3] - Within this field, the emergence of HPC technologies in the open market has led to a drastic change in the cyber ecosystem, with information storage and transfer technologies undergoing continuous evolution due to the exponential growth in processing power affecting existing security standards. Since the advent of supercomputers, they have brought about changes to both the structure and performance of the entire cyber space:

° Rapid Data Processing - Massive impact brought about by the capabilities of swiftly processing enormous volumes of data in real-time.

° Threat Detection - Crafting attack vectors, analyzing them, and assessing security events using advanced artificial intelligence algorithms.

° Encryption and Communication Security - Impact brought by the continuous assessment of the robustness of encryption algorithms and their adaptation to new methods of attack. Additionally, an advantage in encryption security is provided by security simulations to test infrastructures and applications under various attack scenarios.

° Rapid Incident Response - Impact brought about by automating incident response processes, real-time storage and visualization of incident indicators, and promptly responding to a potential attack.

° Forensic Analysis - Leveraging HPC capabilities for the rapid and detailed investigation of recorded incidents.

In relation to the current state of domains utilizing HPC technologies, it is important to address the current trends in domains actively employing HPC systems:

* The increase in the power and complexity of HPC systems to achieve current missions' objectives.

* The growth in the processing and utilization of raw data, commonly referred to as Big Data, alongside HPC computing systems.

To increase the power and complexity of HPC systems, a current approach involves employing a hybrid architecture where supercomputers utilize both traditional processing units, known as CPUs, and graphic accelerators like GPUs or TPUs. Their activities alternate based on specific tasks. A major impact on HPC architecture will be the integration of quantum processors.

A general way to observe the importance and impact of HPC in the military domain is by dividing activities into stages:

* Data Generation Stage - Various sources generate a variety of Big Data.

* Data Processing Stage - The large volume of collected data is manipulated and analyzed.

* Data Visualization Stage - Based on the analyses conducted, information of interest for decision-making is provided.

III. HPC computing impact in military operation

At the military level, HPC (High-Performance Computing) technologies have an impact across all stages of activities, with supercomputers standing out due to three major capabilities: storage capacity, computing power (performance), and data transfer capacity (bandwidth).

* The importance of HPC in the data generation stage lies in storing large volumes of data collected from various sources (collection instruments) in real-time or at regular intervals.

* The most significant impact brought by an HPC system is in the processing stage, where large volumes of data require tools for aggregation, efficient storage, analysis, simulation, and report generation. Here, an efficient HPC system streamlines each operation through computational power, enabling rapid processing, allowing simultaneous execution of multiple algorithms, leading to the quick generation of detailed reports.

* In the data visualization stage, the HPC system ensures high speeds of transferring information of interest to commanders or decision-making systems.

The military system operates across three main categories of forces, each conducting its activities based on the three stages mentioned earlier.

In the case of ground forces, there is a variety of sources that generate Big Data with the purpose of supporting ground operations and decision-making. In the field of intelligence and surveillance, for example, various data from cameras and sensors on the ground are collected, requiring rapid processing and analysis to identify patterns and anomalies. Situations in the field can be quickly assessed, and enemy objectives and activities identified. The final information is crucial for decision-making and operational planning. In the realm of military simulations and training, processing all data related to the performance of soldiers and military equipment can easily lead to evaluating individual and team combat capabilities, identifying both strengths and weaknesses. In logistics, data regarding supply, storage, personnel, and equipment can provide commanders with vital information for decision-making in stock management, optimizing transportation routes, and reducing costs.

Within the air forces, there is the same need for real-time situational awareness. Large volumes of data from aircraft monitoring sensors, such as component status, fuel level, or weather data, as well as information about their positions, can predict potential technical issues through real-time processing. This can also determine the most efficient routes for safe arrival at a destination based on air traffic. All data from maintenance logs regarding the technical condition of an aircraft can provide information that aids in planning preventive maintenance and reducing costs.

For naval forces, data about the position of ships and maritime traffic, as well as weather, topographic and geospatial data, are useful in planning maritime routes, selecting anchorage points and can generate trajectories by anticipating critical weather conditions. Data about water depth and seafloor topography, information from sonars or radars, all of these provide real-time support for underwater operations, including submarines and diver teams, and can identify risks related to mines in maritime areas. All this sensor-derived data can accurately simulate underwater images that are crucial in planning and conducting naval military missions and exercises.

Additionally, within the military domain, research activities cover a broad range of scientific and technological applications. In medical research, analyzing the medical history of military personnel (data from medical records and health files) allows for complex analyses to create personalized medical profiles and identify individual risk factors. In the case of epidemics, analyzing epidemiological data can identify and monitor disease outbreaks in realtime, predict the spread of diseases, and simulate the effectiveness of various preventive measures for intervention planning and decision-making. In engineering, data obtained about weapon systems and ammunition used in military systems during exercises are relevant for analyzing their performance, assessing accuracy, range, and effectiveness, allowing for the simulation of their behavior in real environments and mission preparation.

IV. Conclusions

In most domains, information forms the core driving force towards the success of applications and missions. Often in a raw and complex format, of considerable size, this information requires precise analysis and an exact approach to extract their essence and character. This defining feature of information flow becomes crucial in the military domain, where speed in processing and delivering sought-after responses becomes vital. HPC supercomputers, through the use of emerging and disruptive technologies that provide processing capacity and utilization of complex data at a level of quadrillions of operations per second, have proven to be indispensable tools in accelerating the delivery of concise and precise information in the shortest possible time, with a tremendous impact on critical missions. The characteristics of HPC systems offer an interdisciplinary capacity targeting the majority of challenges that have arisen, as well as those anticipated in all fields, including the military. In conclusion, achieving strategic goals and national priorities has begun to depend on the defense system's ability to harness computing power.

References

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